Back in the Day
by Megs23
Summary: COMPLETE! The college days. NS, WC
1. Biology

Title: Back in the Day

Author: Megan

Pairing: By now you should know I'm an N/S shipper.   :-P Not sure yet if there will be any other pairings.

Rating: PG 13 for language

Summary: This is my take on the college years of the CSI's and Greg. 

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the CSI's. I would gladly take Nick though. 

A/N: This is in response to a challenge posted to the Nick-Sara Shippers group. I don't know how long it will be yet. And this is all totally fiction, so if something doesn't sound "right" it's probably because I made it up.

Stuff you might want to know before reading: Catherine and Sara are roommates. Nick, Warrick, and Greg are roommates. And Grissom is a Biology teacher. They're all freshman (except Grissom of course) at the University of Las Vegas. All of them are originally from Las Vegas except for Sara, who moved there for school from San Francisco. Sara and Greg are 18. Nick and Warrick are 19. Catherine is 20. (She took a year off after high school) And Grissom is 26. 

OK! On with the story!

"Cath! Hurry up! We're going to be late!" Sara Sidle yelled to her roommate Catherine Willows. 

It was the first day of classes for the two freshmen. Sara was planning on getting her bachelors degree in physics, while Catherine was planning on getting her bachelors in medical technology. Both girls had Biology with Professor Grissom at 10:00 am, and Catherine was taking forever to get ready. 

"Chill Sara. I'm almost ready. We still have fifteen minutes." Catherine called from the bathroom. 

Each dorm room had two beds, two desks, two closets, and a small bathroom, with a sink, toilet, and shower. They were nice for being freshman dorms. 

Sara looked in the mirror. She had on low rise boot cut jeans, with a pair of black flip flops. She also wore a black tank top that hung just below her belt. It had slits that went about three inches up the sides. Her long brown hair was pulled up in a messy bun with a few curly strands hanging down at the sides of her face. She thought about bringing a sweatshirt in case it was cold in the classroom, but decided against it. She put on a little bit of light pink blush, and some mascara. Sara was never one for wearing make-up, but a little never hurt. She threw some lip gloss in her bag just in case.

Catherine finally came out of the bathroom, wearing a khaki skirt that came just above her knees and a pink tank top that showed off her midriff. She had a white sweater tied around her skinny waist, and her shoulder length strawberry blonde hair was slightly curled. She stood next to Sara in front of the full length mirror. She also had on shimmery pink blush, pink lip gloss, and silver eyeliner. 

"You look cute," Sara said.

"Yeah, thanks! You do too." Catherine replied grabbing her bag, and heading towards the door.

"Uh… thanks." Sara said following her out the door.

Greg Sanders stood in front of the mirror looking over himself. He had on a pair of jean shorts, and a bright blue button up shirt. One of his roommates stood next him, also making sure he looked OK, for his first day of classes. Nick Stokes was clad in blue jeans, and a black, ribbed tee that hugged his muscles. Their third roommate, Warrick Brown was still in the bathroom, shaving. 

"Warrick, come on!" Greg called. "I need to get there early to check out all the ladies!"

Nick laughed and slapped his friend on the back. "What's the point, man?"

"Hey! I got 'em lined up!"

Warrick emerged from the bathroom wearing khaki pants, and a black button up shirt with short sleeves. "OK, kids. Let's go. I hear Professor Grissom's tough."

The three of them, grabbed their backpacks and headed for the door. "Oh wait! I'm gonna grab my sweatshirt in case it's cold."

"Nicky, you're such a girl!" Greg teased earning him another hard smack.

Sara and Catherine sped towards Sherman Hall, where most of the science courses were taught.  Sara was a few feet ahead of Catherine, and just as she was getting ready to enter the building, she collided with another student, spilling her books on the ground.

"Shit!" she yelled, bending down to pick up her biology book, and notebook. 

"Oh man, I'm sorry about that. Here let me help you."  Sara looked up to see deep brown eyes staring back at her.

"No, its fine. I got it," she replied, but he took her books from her anyways.

"Hey Sar! What did you do? Knock the poor kid over?" Catherine finally caught up to her.

"I guess I just wasn't looking where I was going," Sara replied. 

"Nah, you just can't wait to feast your eyes on Professor Grissom!" Catherine teased causing Sara to blush. "Oh my God! Nicky?" 

"Catherine Willows, look at you! I haven't seen you in what? Two years?" Nick asked her.

"Wait, you know him?" Sara asked.

"Oh yeah! We went to Springboro High School together. I was a year ahead of him. We were in the Forensics after School Lab together. Me and –" She stopped when she saw Warrick and Greg walking up to them. "Hey guys!"

"Hey Cath! I thought you weren't gonna go to college," Greg said giving his old friend a hug.

"Well, I took a year off. Got a job. Then decided I wanted to go to college. Maybe study science or something. As of right now, I plan on getting my bachelors in medical technology." Catherine informed her friends. 

Sara just stood back and took in all the faces of the guys Catherine was talking to. She looked down at her watch and realized she only had five minutes to get to class. She grabbed her books from Nick's grasp, and rushed inside.

"Hey…" Nick started, but she was already gone. "What was that all about?"

"Oh. Guys that's my roommate, Sara Sidle. She's from San Francisco. Never been to Vegas in her life. She's goin' for her Bachelors in Physics. Smart girl," Catherine explained. "She probably just didn't wanna be late. So what are you all studyin'?"

"I'm going to get my bachelors in chem., I hope." Warrick responded first. 

"Yeah me too." Greg added.

Then Nick spoke up. "B.S. in Criminal Justice." 

"Ok, we better head on in to class. Where are you guys off to?" Catherine asked.

"Bio." They all replied at the same time.

"Great! Me too!"

With that, they all walked into the building, and found their classroom. Professor Grissom, who looked way to young to be teaching at a college, was just getting ready to start class when the four friends entered. Sara was sitting all the way in the back of the extra large classroom. She was in the very far corner all by herself, writing something down in her notebook. 

Nick saw her first and made his way over towards her. "This seat taken?"

"Yes!" She answered all too quickly.

"Ha! I don't believe you," Nick sat down in the desk next to her.

Sara looked up, and glared at him. Then Catherine, Warrick, and Greg walked over. Greg sat next to Nick, while Catherine and Warrick took the two seats in the row in front of them.

Nick just winked at Sara as a smile spread across his face.

SARA'S POV

Ugh! Why did they all have to sit with me? I should just get up and go sit somewhere else. I don't mind Catherine, but the other three I don't know. And I want to be able to concentrate on Biology, not the hottie sitting next to me. Oh, this isn't fair! 

Why is he looking at me? Oh man, check out that smile.

Oh, Sara, pay attention to the teacher, or get up, and find another seat. 

Good idea!

"Ok. Hello everybody. My name is Gil Grissom. You guys can just call me Professor Grissom."

Damn! Too late. Oh well. 

NICK'S POV

Oh, look. Professor Grissom has an iguana. Cool. Wonder what that's for. This is just biology. Maybe he teaches another class. Or maybe he just carries his pet iguana with him everywhere. 

"I'd like you all to meet Terri." Oh, so the iguana has a name now? It's probably his girlfriend. 

"I was going to keep her in my office, but I didn't make it there, and I didn't want to be late for the first day. So she's going to sit with us." Ah, good reason. 

He seems cool. Kind of young.

Speaking of young. How about this Miss Sara Sidle sitting next to me? She looks like she's only about 16. She looks so serious. I bet she could be so hot if she wanted to be, though. Oh, she's going to play hard to get now isn't she? She has a nice death stare. I'd never want to be on her bad side though.

"Sara Sidle?" He stares at her for a while, and she smiles as she raises her hand. 

She smiled? At the professor? Oh man! She's so blushing now! Shit! She barely even looked at me.

"Nicholas Stokes?" 

"Yeah, that's me!" Who still calls role at the beginning of class in college? I thought we grew out of that. Oh well.

TBC


	2. Bully

Same disclaimers as always… 

The sound of the bell brought Nick back from his nap. 

"All right class. I guess that's it for today. I'll see you Wednesday, same time, same place." Grissom said as he started gathering all his books.

Catherine turned around to see Sara staring out the window, and Nick groggily opening his eyes. "Wow," she muttered to herself. 

Greg and Warrick stood up, stretched, and gathered their books. "Is that guy boring or what?" Greg asked Warrick.

"Yeah, no kidding."

"So what do you guys have now?" Catherine asked all of them.

"Nothing until 2:00" Warrick and Greg said at the same time.

Sara slowly stood up, and gathered her books as well. "I've got English now."

"Me too," Nick said, a smile crossing his lips.

"Well, I'm done until 1:30, so what do you say we go get something to eat?" She asked Warrick and Greg.

They both nodded and headed for the door, Catherine following them.

Nick turned to Sara. "Looks like its just you and me, kiddo."

"Kiddo?" Sara asked giving him another glare.

"Ouch. Geez, Sar. If looks could kill, I'd be dead twice now. It just came out, sorry." Nick picked up his bag, and headed for the door. English was in the Humanities building, which was on the other side of campus, so he needed to hurry.

"Nick, wait. I'm sorry. It just hasn't been a good couple of days, ok?" Sara said catching up to him.

Nick stopped and turned around to face her. "Sara, don't worry about it. It's not like you're supposed to meet me, and we're immediately friends, or anything."

"Yeah I know, but I was just a bitch, and I'm sorry. I'll try not to be a bitch anymore. I just don't get along with people that well." They began walking to their next class as she spoke.

Nick laughed "How do you not get a long with people? Once you get past the tough outer core, I'm sure you're the nicest person ever. It just seems to me that you put this wall up around you, and refuse to let anyone in."

"How can you tell already? You met me like an hour ago." 

"While people aren't you thing, they are mine. I could read you like a book." Nick pushed the door open to the Humanities building, and held it for her. As she passed him, he whispered in her ear. "You're a good read."

Sara backed away from him quickly, almost knocking over a passing student. She turned beet red.

Nick laughed, and put his arm around her waist. "You're cute when you're embarrassed."

Sara blushed an even darker shade of red, if that's even possible, but didn't pull away.

"Well, that was fun," Nick said standing up and stretching.

"Oh yeah. If you like unhappy books like 'The Dubliners'." Sara said standing gathering all her books again. "I really need to bring a backpack next time."

"Or you could always let me carry all your shit," Nick said with a smirk.

Sara put her hands on her hips. "Would you shut up about it, if I let you?"

"Mmhhm."

"Fine! Carry them," Sara said smiling.

"Hey. Why don't you smile more? You have such a pretty smile." Nick opened the door leading outside, and held it for her again.

Sara's smile quickly disappeared. "Are you serious?"

"Uh, yeah, Sara. I don't usually lie about something like that," Nick said heading towards the dorms.

"Oh."

"Hey, do you have anymore classes today?"

"No. You?"

"Nope. Which dorm do you live in?" Nick asked.

"Marycrest. How about you?" Sara was glad he changed the subject. She didn't like talking about herself, especially her features.

"Oh, I live in Stuart."

"Aw, man. You have to walk up and down that hill every day? That must suck!" Sara said as they neared the fork in the road. To their right was Marycest, and to the left Stuart Hall.

"Hey… Its good exercise." Nick said as she stopped walking.

"Yeah, well. Thanks for carrying my books, and I guess I'll uh see ya later." Sara reached for her books, but Nick didn't hand them over.

"I'll walk you to your room."

"Uh, ok." Sara turned and they started walking towards Marycrest.

"Ok, here we are." Sara dug into her purse in search of her key. "Ugh, I know it's in here somewhere."

"Hey look! Sara Sidle found a man!" Sara spun around to see Tasha Lucas hanging out of her dorm room, which was two doors down from Sara and Catherine's room, with a huge smirk on her face. "Never thought I'd see the day."

Sara turned back to her purse, and quickly searched for her key again, hoping Nick didn't even notice the 5'10" blonde who was the only other person from Sara's high school to come to the University of Las Vegas. She was also the meanest girl Sara knew. Tasha had actually pushed Sara down a flight of stairs once. 

Sara could feel her hands shaking. She still couldn't find her key. She thought that once college started, the bullies went away, but she guessed she was wrong. Nick was confused. "Hey, Sar… Calm down, ok?" He put his hand on her shoulder, and could feel how badly she was shaking. 

Sara dropped her purse, spilling all of the contents: her cell phone, a pen and pencil, small notebook, pack of gum, lip gloss, a mirror, and a few other odds and ends. This just caused more people to stop in the halls, and stare at her. Usually Sara was calm, and wouldn't let anyone get to her, but Tasha was one of those people who just didn't go away, no matter what. 

Sara bent down, to pick everything back up again, noticing that her key wasn't in her purse. "Shit! I must have dropped it somewhere. Dammit!"

"Sara…" Nick bent down to help her pick everything up. 

A few tears escaped her eyes, and started to roll down her cheeks. 'Oh my God! I'm crying! What the hell is my problem?'

Tasha had finally gone back into her room, and the hall was beginning to clear. Sara sat down and leaned up against the wall. She put her head in her hands, and closed her eyes.

"Sara?!" It was Catherine. "Sara, what's wrong? Nick?"

Nick looked up at her and shrugged his shoulders. He scooted over next to Sara, and put an arm around her, pulling her into a hug. He didn't know what else to do. She reluctantly leaned into him, and buried her face in his chest. She felt like she was back in high school all over again. 

Catherine unlocked the door, and took all of Sara's books, and her purse inside. She came back out into the hall and bent down next to her old friend, and roommate. "Hey, why don't you take her inside? I'm going to go out to dinner with Warrick and Greg. I'll bring you both back something, ok?"

Nick nodded, and helped Sara to her feet. She slowly walked into the room, and slumped down in the chair in front of her computer. Nick closed the door, and walked over to her. He knelt down in front of her, and put his hand on top of hers. She shook it off, and stood up abruptly, walking away from him. 

"Sara. Look, I know we just met, and all, but…"

"What?" Sara asked sitting down on her bed, picking up the yo-yo her brother sent with her. He said that she should practice so she could come home with something useful to share with the family, which was really just her mom and 15 year old brother. 

"I just want to help you."

"Help me? Help me!!" Sara threw the yo-yo against the wall, causing it to break into several pieces.

Nick flinched. She was small, but she had quite an arm. Sara lay down on her bed, and brought her knees up to her chest, hugging them tightly. Nick didn't know what to do. He'd seen girls cry before, but not like this. And they'd never had such an effect on him as she did now. So he went over to her bed, and sat down next to her. He brushed her hair out of her face. It had completely fallen out of the bun it was in earlier. He wiped the tears off her face with his thumb. 

"Did you have any bullies growing up?" she whispered.

"Some."

"She was my worst. She made high school the worst four years of my life. She made fun of my smile, how smart I was, how I looked. She pushed me down the stairs once. I broke my arm, and sprained my ankle. My face was so bruised… And that just caused her to make fun of me more. Called me Sara Gimps-a-lot for a month and a half." Sara sat up, and leaned against the wall. 

Nick scooted back on the bed, so he was sitting next to her. "I was called 'Stokey' for a year. I got in a fight with some guy who weighed 100 pounds more than me. I was only 5'6" until my senior year. I guess I shot up another inch or two over the summer between junior and senior year, and then two more inches after graduation. Didn't have my first date until prom senior year. And I didn't even like the girl." 

"Stokey?" Sara asked.

"Yeah."

"That's pretty lame! If they're gonna call us names, why can't they think of anything better?" A smile began to tug at the corners of Sara's mouth. 

Nick laughed and turned to look at her. "Why did she make fun of your smile? Its gorgeous."

Sara blushed. "The gap in my teeth, I guess. I just hate my teeth, and lips. They just don't look right."

Nick inched closer to her. "I think you're beautiful, Sara." He reached up and cupped her cheek.

Sara wanted to move away, but she couldn't. He had her trapped.

Nick moved in a little closer, and brushed his lips against hers. 

Sara froze. She didn't know what to do. She'd only been kissed once before, and that was just spin the bottle. 

Nick pulled back. "I'm… I'm sorry."

"Nick-" She was cut off by the sound of the door creaking open. She quickly hopped off the bed. 

"Hey!" Catherine said walking into the room, holding a plastic bag full of food. "Sara, I brought you a salad, and a bottle of Root Beer. Nicky, I have for you a hamburger and French fries, and a bottle of Pepsi. Enjoy!" And with that she was gone.

But before Sara or Nick could even move, she popped her head back in the room. "Oh, Sara. Since it's your birthday, and all, we're gonna order a pizza tonight to celebrate a bit, ok? I invited Greg and Warrick, since you don't really know anybody. But if you wanna invite anyone else, that'd be cool, too. Anyways. Just be here around 11:00pm."

"It's your birthday?" Nick asked, standing up next to Sara.

"Yeah. I'm finally 18." She laughed sarcastically.

"Well, happy birthday!" He said leaning down to give her a gentle kiss on the cheek.


	3. Truth or Dare

A/N: Thanks everyone for the reviews! I've never done one of these "college" fics before, so I was sorta nervous about it. I'm glad you all like it!

Special thanks to: 

csifan1: I'm glad you like my stories, and thanks for letting me know about the "weird symbols" LOL I fixed 'em!

krisnina77: I always thought Sara looked younger than her age, so thanks for letting me know I wasn't the only one. 

A Bloom, cRaZyPiXiE, MissyJane, skyler, oOoOo, countryfreak: Thanks so much!

SaxophoneForensicschic05: Thanks and I think so, too! 

"Sara… Sara, wake up!" 

Sara opened her eyes a crack to see a handsome face staring back down at her. She felt his hands on her shoulders. She crinkled up her nose in confusion.

"It's almost 11:00. Cath, Warrick, and Greg are bringing a pizza up. This is all for you, so you better get up." Nick pulled at her hand to get her out of bed.

"I told you to wake me up at 8:00! I slept for four hours! I had homework to do!" Sara stood up, letting the rest of her body wake up.

"You don't have homework after the first day. And hello? I was in the same classes as you. All we have to do is read some crap by Wednesday. And besides, you needed the sleep. And you looked so cute, especially when your nose crinkles like that." Nick tapped her nose with his finger and smiled.

Sara scowled at him. Just then, Catherine, Warrick, and Greg showed up with a pizza, breadsticks, and some soda. Catherine noticed her groggy roommate. "What's wrong?"

"Nick let me sleep for four hours. Now I'll never be able to sleep tonight." She sat down in a huff on her bed.

"That's good, 'cause we're gonna party 'til the break of dawn!" Greg exclaimed sitting down next to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. Sara could smell the alcohol on his breath. She pulled away from him. 

"Down boy!" Nick said slapping Greg on the back. 

"Ok, guys… Time to play my all time fave game!" Catherine exclaimed, shutting the door, and sitting down on the floor, taking out a piece of pizza.

"Oh shit. Not Truth or Dare!" Greg moved from the bed, to the floor, and also took a piece of pizza. Catherine grinned.

"Come on Cath! We play that every time we hang out!" Warrick sat down on Sara's bed, getting a nasty look from her, but he just smiled, and joined Catherine and Greg on the floor.

"Well, we've never had Sara with us!" Catherine winked at her roommate.

"Oh no, Cath, I don't think –"

Nick laughed, and sat down next to Sara. Warrick looked confused when Sara didn't give him the death stare. "Come on, Sar. We'll go easy on you!" He winked and nudged her in the side. She sighed, and grabbed a can of Sprite from the bag on the floor.

"All right, Sara. Newbie starts."

"Fine. Uhhh… Nick. Truth or Dare?" Sara looked over at him.

"Dare!"

"Ummm…" She took a drink of her Sprite. "I can't think. So, kiss Catherine."

Catherine choked on her pizza. Nick got up, walked the other side of the room, bent down, and kissed his friend on the cheek. "Good enough?"

Sara reached for a slice of pizza. "Yep."

"Greg. Truth or dare?" Nick asked.

"Dare!"

"Alright. I want you to run up and down the hall, with your pants around your ankles. Don't worry; you can leave your boxers up."

Greg stood, up, undid his belt, letting his pants fall to the floor. Catherine and Sara smiled, while Nick and Warrick looked away. Greg headed, for the door, and exited into the hallway. Less than a minute later, his screams were being heard throughout the floor.

"Nick, man, did you tell him to yell like that?" Warrick asked.

"No. Maybe we should check on him."

Warrick looked down the hall to see, Greg hanging from his ankles. He was strapped to an open door. He figured someone got a hold of the scrawny freshman, and decided to make an even bigger spectacle of him. Warrick walked down the hall, and helped Greg down.

"My hero!" Greg exclaimed in a girly voice, exaggerating a kiss on the cheek. 

Warrick pushed him against the wall. "Dude. Never put your lips on my face again, or I'll hang you back up there myself!"

The two walked back into the room; where Sara was lying in bed, wearing sweatpants, and an extra large t-shirt, reading a book. "Where's Cath?" Warrick asked.

"Bathroom."

"And Nick?" Greg wondered.

"He went to throw the trash away. Said he'd be right back." Sara didn't even look up from her book. 

Catherine emerged from the bathroom, wearing boxers, and a tank top. "Hey guys, we're gonna go ahead, and hit the hay now. We've both got a 9 AM class in the morning."

Nick walked back into the room. "You guys ready?"

"Yeah," they both answered. Warrick and Greg said good bye to the girls, and headed down the hall.

"Good night Sara," Nick said.

She looked up from her book, and smiled. "Good night."


	4. Ben & Jerry's

Thanks to cRaZyPiXiE, oOoOo, MissyJane, and krisnina77 for reviewing chapter 3. 

"Hey Sara! Wait up!" Sara was on her way back up to her room on Tuesday. She had three classes, all before noon. So she was pretty tired, and just wanted to go home, and take a nap. 

She turned around to see Nick jogging up to her. "Jeez. You walk fast! What's the rush?"

"I'm just tired. I had three classes this morning, you know." Sara continued walking.

"Well, I was thinking, if you weren't doing anything right now, you'd come with me to get an ice cream cone or something at Ben & Jerry's." Nick put a hand on her shoulder to halt her from walking any further towards her dorm.

"Nick, I'm really tired. I was up late last night, and I'm just not having a good day, ok?" Sara pushed past him.

Nick ran back up in front of her. "I'll make you a deal. Come get ice cream with me, and I will give you a back massage later."

"Nick-"

"Please? Am I gonna have to get down on my knees and beg?" As he was saying this he bent down on his knees, and looked up at her with his best pouty face.

"Get up! You're causing a scene."

"I'll kiss your feet…"

"Ok, ok, ok!! I'll go! Just get off the ground!" Sara took Nick's hands, and pulled him up. "Let me at least put my backpack in my room, and grab some money."

"Oh no. You're not going up there. I know it would be hell tryin' to get you back out again. And I'll pay." Nick put his hand on the small of her back, and pushed her in the opposite direction of her room.

Sara and Nick walked into Ben & Jerry's which wasn't crowded at all. It was only about 12:30 in the afternoon. Most students had class, or work. And the rest of them were either in bed still, or eating lunch. 

"Ok, what do you want, Sara?" Nick asked as they stepped up to the counter. 

"Umm… Just a chocolate ice cream cone, please?"

"Ok, we'll take one chocolate ice cream cone," Nick told the cashier. 

Sara looked at Nick, puzzled. "Aren't you getting anything?"

"Nope." 

The cashier, who was probably a student as well, handed Nick the ice cream cone, in exchange for $3.95. Nick led Sara over to a small table in the corner of the small shop, and pulled out a chair for her. 

"Here ya go!" Nick handed Sara the ice cream cone.

"Thanks." Sara licked the ice cream. "It's good. I still don't know why you didn't get anything. This was your idea."

"I know, but really it was just to get you to spend time with me."

Sara blushed. "Why?"

"Because I like you."

"Why?"

Nick looked confused "What do you mean?"

"Why do you like me?"

He looked down at the table. "Because the first time I looked in your eyes, I don't know how to explain it… I just felt like you were the one person who could understand me without even saying a word. You intrigue me, Sara. You confuse me. And I think you're the cutest girl here. And yesterday, when I saw you so defeated, I felt like I was the one hurting. I wanted nothing more than to be the one to bring the smile back to your face. And I know we just met and all and it's weird. I can't really explain it. And the kiss-"

"Nick…. Stop, please. I have to… um… go. Here. You can finish this." She handed him the half eaten ice cream cone, hopped up from her chair, and ran out of the ice cream shop as fast as her tired legs would carry her. 

Sara got back to her room, thankful that Catherine had classes until 4:00, and wouldn't be back for a few hours. She flipped on her radio, and threw herself on her bed, burying her face in her pillow.

~*~*~

Today is gonna be the day   
That they're gonna throw it back to you   
By now you should've somehow   
Realised what you gotta do   
I don't believe that anybody   
Feels the way I do about you now   
  


Backbeat the word was on the street   
That the fire in your heart is out   
I'm sure you've heard it all before   
But you never really had a doubt   
I don't believe that anybody feels   
The way I do about you now

~*~*~

Sara could feel tears soaking her pillow case, but she didn't care. She didn't care that her door wasn't even shut all the way, and people could probably see her. She didn't care that her cell phone was playing "Canon in D" letting her know that someone was calling her. She didn't even care that people were walking up and down the hall mocking the song coming out of her radio.

~*~*~

And all the roads we have to walk are winding   
And all the lights that lead us there are blinding   
There are many things that I would   
Like to say to you   
but I don't know how   
  


Because maybe   
You're gonna be the one that saves me ?   
And after all   
You're my wonderwall

~*~*~

Sara had never really been paid attention to by many people, unless they wanted to pick on her for being the science nerd, or ugly duckling. She hadn't bothered talking to many people because she frankly learned to not like them. She went to school, did her work, came home, and did more work. She kept to herself as much as possible. And she was happy with her choices. 

But now someone was trying to break down the wall that she had been building since she started school. And no matter how hard she would try, he'd be able to get through. And it was all because she and Catherine were running late to class on Monday. 

~*~*~

Today was gonna be the day?   
But they'll never throw it back to you   
By now you should've somehow   
Realised what you're not to do   
I don't believe that anybody   
Feels the way I do   
About you now

~*~*~

Sara was so absorbed in her own thoughts and the song playing on the radio that she didn't noticed him walk into her room. She didn't notice until he sat down on the bed next to her. She didn't look up. She didn't need to. She knew it was Nick. 

~*~*~

And all the roads that lead you there were winding   
And all the lights that light the way are blinding   
There are many things that I would like to say to you   
I don't know how   
  
I said maybe   
You're gonna be the one that saves me ?   
And after all   
You're my wonderwall

~*~*~

Sara felt his hand on her shoulder. Then she felt him pull the hair away from her face, to reveal her tear-stained cheek. She turned her head away from him. "I'm sorry." She murmured into her pillow.

"No. I am. I shouldn't have said anything."

Sara took in a deep breath, and let the air out slowly.

~*~*~

I said maybe   
You're gonna be the one that saves me ?   
And after all   
You're my wonderwall   
  
Said maybe   
You're gonna be the one that saves me   
You're gonna be the one that saves me   
You're gonna be the one that saves me

~*~*~

As soon as the song was over, Sara sat up, and turned the radio off. She turned her head to look over at Nick. "I like that song."

"Me too," he said bringing his hand to her cheek to wipe away the remaining tears.

"I'm so scared," Sara blurted out.

"Of me?"

"Of how I feel… Of getting hurt… Of everything…." Sara turned her head away from Nick again, but he cupped her other cheek with his other hand, and brought her back to facing him. Their lips only inches away from each other.

"Don't be. I swear to God, Sara, I will never hurt you. Ever."

"Promise?" Her voice was barely above a whisper.

Nick didn't say a word. He only leaned in a little further and captured her lips with his. At first Sara was hesitant, and Nick pulled away. But before he could say anything, she leaned forward, letting their lips meet again. 

She leaned backwards, letting her head hit the pillow, pulling Nick down with her. Their kiss grew from hesitant, to aggressive in a matter of seconds. Sara opened her mouth, gaining Nick full access. He ran his fingers down to her waist, and up underneath her shirt, caressing her soft skin. 

Nick stopped and looked down at Sara's beautiful face. He pulled his hands from beneath her shirt, and places one on each side of her face, running his fingers through her messy brown hair. 

"I have a class at 3:00," he whispered. "I have to go."

Sara nodded.

"I'll come back."

She nodded again.

Nick didn't move. "I don't wanna go."

"You have to."

Nick got up, pulling her with him. He walked to the door, leaned down, kissed her forehead, and then opened the door. "Sara, is this yours?" He picked up a black duffel bag.

"No. I wonder whose it is. Maybe I should look."

Nick brought the bag into the room, and set it down on a chair. Sara unzipped the bag, and gasped. "Oh my God!"

"What is it?" Nick asked peering into the bag.

Inside was a Doxen Weiner dog. It had foam coming from its mouth. Both of them knew it was dead. 

But that wasn't the worst part.

Around the dog's neck, was a makeshift collar, with a nametag that read 'Sara.'

TBC

The song I used in this chapter is "Wonderwall" by Oasis. It's a very good song, by the way. 


	5. Chicken

Just so everyone knows, I still don't own any of the characters on CSI.

Thanks to Sara Sidle Stokes, countryfreak, heeebiejeebie, PeTiTeCaT, cRaZyPiXiE, MissyJane, and Krisnina77 for reviewing Chapter 4! :)

~~$~@~$~~

Sara couldn't tear her eyes away from the small dog lying in the black duffel bag. She covered her mouth with one hand, and reached for a chair to steady her so she wouldn't fall over. "Oh my God" she whispered.

Nick quickly zipped up the back, so the dog was no longer in view. "Sara"

Sara looked over at him, fear evident in her eyes. She could feel her body lightly trembling. "It had my name on it. A dead dog. I'm going to be that dead dog. She was sending me a message."

Nick looked at her, confused. "Who? Sara, what are you talking about?"

"Tasha. It was her. I know it."

"Come here." Nick quickly pulled Sara's shaky body into her arms, and held her tightly. "She won't touch you. I swear."

Sara pulled away, and went to get the phone. "I'll call the janitor or someone to come get this." Her voice was completely void of all emotion. "Hello? I found a dead dog outside my dorm room. *pause* Marycrest *pause* Yes it was in the building. Right outside my door. Room 309. *pause* No, I didn't kill it! I just found it here! Can you please just come get it? *pause* Thank you." She hung up the phone, and sat down on the bed.

Nick sat down next to her. "You should tell security or something that you're being harassed."

Sara didn't say anything. She just got up, walked over to the bag, unzipped it, and ripped the name tag off the collar. She zipped the bag back up, and stared down at the piece of think paper that was lying in her hand. She crumpled it into a little ball, and threw it in the trash can. 

"Sara-"

"I'm fine"

Her voice was cold and mean. 

"Just go to your class, okay? Don't worry about me."

Before Nick could say anything, there was a knock at the door. It was one of the janitors. "I'm here for the dead dog" he said as soon as Sara opened the door. 

She went and got the bag for him. "Here ya go" 

The janitor, whose name tag read 'Bill' took the bag and walked down the hall without saying a word. 

Sara left the door open, and turned to Nick. "Please leave"

Nick looked down at his watch. It was 2:30. He had a half hour to run up to his dorm, grab his books, and then run all the way back down to the Music and Theatre building for his Music Appreciation class. He knew he'd need all thirty of those minutes, but he didn't want to leave Sara just yet. 

"Look. I'm gonna go down to the library and study a bit. Don't worry about me. Tasha probably doesn't even know there is a library on campus. Besides, maybe it wasn't even her who put the bag there. I'm sure there's more than one Sara in this building." As much as Sara knew the chances that the dog was meant for someone else, she didn't want Nick protecting her, and acting like she needed a babysitter. Besides that, he had a class, and she didn't want to be the reason he missed. 

"Fine, but I'm coming back up here right after my class"

"No, Nick. I'll be fine. Catherine will be back by then anyway. I'll call you later.

Nick finally walked towards the door, stopping when he was standing in front of her. Before he could say anything, she put a finger to his lips. "Just go"

Nick saw no point in arguing with her. "Fine" He walked out the door and down the hall without even saying good bye. 

Sara closed the door, and plopped down on her bed, burying her face in the pillow. 

A few minutes later, she gathered her books and headed for the library.

~~$~@~$~~

"So how have your classes been, Cath?" It was now 4:00 in the afternoon. Catherine and Warrick were sitting outside of the Humanities building in the grass underneath a big tree, which provided plenty of shade.

"Oh, you know. The usual. You?"

"Yeah. Same here."

"Hey, look! There's Nick" Catherine said, pointing him out to Warrick. "Nick!" She called to him, and waved so he could see them.

Nick walked over to them, and sat down next to Catherine. "Hey guys."

"Hey man, what's up? You seem kinda down"

Nick looked from Warrick to Catherine. "It's Sara."

"Sara?" Catherine asked. "Why?"

"Well, I was hanging out with her earlier, before my 3:00 class. When I opened the door to leave, there was a black duffel bag on the floor in the hall. We opened it up, and there was a dead dog inside. One of those little wiener dogs. It had a collar around its neck, with a name tag." 

Catherine gasped. "Oh my God."

Nick continued. "The name tag said 'Sara' on it, though. I think it really scared her, but since I don't know her that well I can't tell. She got all shut off and everything. And she didn't even call security. Just the janitor to come get it. When I told her I'd stay with her she got mad. She acted like she didn't want to see me the rest of the day. She said she'd call, but I don't believe her."

"You think Tahsa  did it?" Catherine asked.

"Wait, who's Tasha?" Warrick asked.

"Just the biggest bitch on the planet" Catherine informed him. Sara had told her about Tasha once after she had spray painted the word 'dog' on their door. That was the day after Sara and Catherine had moved in. They had had a floor meeting, and that's when Sara and Tasha saw each other for the first time since high school. 

"Oh" was all Warrick could say.

Catherine looked back over to Nick. "So?"

"Yeah, she thinks it was Tasha. But she wouldn't call security about it."

Catherine stood up, brushing the grass off her butt. She picked up her books. "Well, I'm gonna go back up to my room."

"Sara went to the library. Well, she said she was going to." Nick said standing up as well. 

"Well then I'll be there when she gets back, that way she won't have to be alone or anything."

Warrick followed his friends. "Why don't we all go? Greg is up in our room with some chick, so I really don't feel like going up there."

"All right. Let's go" Catherine said leading the way up to Marycrest.

~~$~@~$~~

Sara pulled out her key as she neared her room, and looked around. The hall was completely empty, which was odd since it was only a little after 4:00 pm. 'Maybe they all went out for an early dinner or something'. She stuck the key in the lock and opened the door. She let out a little shriek when she saw what was waiting for her.

There on her bed, tied to one of the posts was a chicken. A real live chicken. She could see that there was a small envelope tired around one of the chicken's legs. She quickly grabbed a pair of scissors, cut the string that attached the envelope to the animal, and pulled it away before the chicken could do anything about it. 

She opened the envelope, and pulled out a tiny index card. On it was one sentence: Are you scared yet, Sara?

Sara brought her hand to her mouth, and let out another small cry, just as the door opened. Catherine, Warrick, and Nick entered the room, noticing the chicken on the bed.

Nick rushed to her side. "Sara?" He placed a hand under her chin, and raised her face so he could see her. He could see that she was beginning to cry, and pulled her into a warm embrace.

Warrick took the envelope and index card from Sara's hand, and read it. He then handed it to Catherine.

Sara pulled away from Nick and finally broke the silence in the room. "I guess I should call the janitor again. Have him come get this chicken"

"That stuck up no good piece of white trash bitch!" Catherine threw the note down on the ground, and stormed out of the room.

"I'm gonna go make sure she doesn't kill anyone" Warrick said quickly leaving the room as well.

Nick looked back over at Sara who was just ending her phone call with the janitor. "He's on his way" she informed him.

"Sara-"

"Nick, please don't say anything. Can you just leave please? I need to get some rest or do some homework or something" Sara moved over to her desk and began sorting through papers and notebooks.

Nick walked over to her, and put his hands firmly on her shoulders. "Come eat dinner with me"

"No."

"You're coming with me now. Even if I have to carry you out of this building kicking and screaming. I'll even tie you down to a chair and feed you if I have to" He started pushing her to the door, but Sara wiggled out of his strong grip. 

"Just get away from me!" Sara threw herself down on her bed, and buried her face in her pillow.

Nick sat down next to her. "I'm not going anywhere unless you come with me" He lay down next to her, and pulled her body up against his. He kissed the top of her head, and whispered "It's going to be okay. I promise"

~~$~@~$~~

Catherine rushed down the hall towards Tasha Lucas's dorm room. Warrick followed her, but didn't reach until after she had already pounded on the door, demanding Tasha come out.

The door opened quickly, and Tasha stepped out into the hall. "What do you want?"

Without even blinking Catherine balled her hand into a fist, pulled it back behind her, and swung full force right into the other girl's jaw. "You come near my room again, and I'll make sure you pay for everything you've done!"

Catherine didn't even give Tasha a chance to respond before she headed down the hall, the opposite way of her room, Warrick right on her heel this time. "Hey, Cath, you're room is that way"

"Yeah, I know. I just need some air okay" She reached the elevator, thankful there was already one there waiting for her. She stepped inside, and pushed the button for the ground floor, Warrick still right at her side.

"Cath, you sure you're okay?" Warrick asked soothingly.

"I'm just so sick and tired of people who think they're the shit and are given the right to treat everyone else like crap" 

Warrick wrapped an arm around her shoulders, and pulled her into a hug. "I know. But everything is going to fine. I promise."

~~$~@~$~~

TBC

Well, I've officially added everything I was supposed to for the original challenge. But I have no idea how long this is actually going to be. I have absolutely nothing planned out. LOL Please tell me what you think, but leave the flames at home. :)


	6. Headstrong

Thanks to: EmmyMik, River Goddess, candaceFABULOUS, PeTiTeCaT, CSIaddict, MissyJane, jd burns, pdhtgal, and krisnina77 for the great reviews of Chapter 5. You guys rock! :) 

~~$~@~$~~

"Sara, are you going to eat any of that?" Nick asked. He had finally gotten her to go eat dinner with him around 5:00 that same afternoon. She had wanted to wait until after the janitor came to get the chicken. Now Sara was sitting across from him at one of the tables in Marycrest's cafeteria, staring down at her food: a fruit cup, salad, and pasta.

"I'm not hungry."

"Hon, you've got to eat something." Nick got up and moved over to sit in the booth next to Sara, his food now completely gone.

Sara looked up now, and gazed around the room. When she spoke, her voice was barely above a whisper. If Nick wasn't sitting right next to her, he probably wouldn't have been able to hear her. "There she is." 

_Circling your, circling your, circling your head  
Contemplating everything you ever said  
Now I see the truth  
I got a doubt  
A different motive in your eyes and now I'm out   
See you later_

Nick followed Sara's gaze over to a table on the other side of the cafeteria where he saw Tasha sitting at a table laughing with a few other girls. Nick brought his hand up to Sara's cheek, and turned her head to face him instead of the girls across the room. "Sara, don't worry. I swear I won't leave you." He leaned forward and kissed her on the forehead. He noticed a single tear escape her eye, and he brushed it away with his thumb. "Trust me," he whispered, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

Sara looked away from him, back down to the food on her tray. She ate a few bites of her pasta and another few bites of salad before pushing the tray away, and leaning back against Nick. "I'm done now. I'll go take my tray up."

"Okay, I'll take mine up, too, and then maybe we can go for a walk or something." Nick said standing up and gathering his tray.

"Yeah, sure. Whatever." Sara took her tray and headed over to the trash cans. Nick following close behind.

_I see your fantasy, you want to make it a reality paved in gold   
See inside, inside of our heads, yeah   
Well now that's over   
I see your motives inside  
And your decisions to hide_

"Hey pup! I see your owner finally took your for a walk." Sara froze when she heard the voice from behind her. 

She finished dumping her tray, and felt Nick grab her arm, and pull her away from Tasha. "C'mon, Sara."

"That's right. Run away. Oh, and tell your slut-bag whore of a roommate that if she ever comes near me again, I'll make her wish she was dead."

Even though Nick had a firm grip on Sara's arm, she somehow managed to get loose, and stormed back up to Tasha, not hesitating before punching her square in the nose, making her tumble backwards, knocking over the stack of trays and landing on her butt. 

Sara didn't even say anything to her; she just turned, and walked past Nick towards the door leading outside. Nick quickly turned and followed her, picking his jaw up off the ground as he went. 

_AAAAARRRRRHHHH!!!!!  
Back off we'll take you on   
Headstrong to take on anyone   
I know that you are wrong   
Headstrong, we're Headstrong   
Back off I'll take you on   
Headstrong to take on anyone   
I know that you are wrong   
And this is not where you belong_

Sara was half walking, half jogging up the hill that would lead to the main road that would eventually lead out of campus. Nick quickly caught up to her and grabbed her arm, to stop her. "Sara! Whoa, slow down!"

Sara stopped and bent over, resting her hands on her knees, trying to catch her breath. Nick rubbed her back gently, and led her over to a somewhat secluded bench. This part of campus was never really crowded, just a road to the drop-off area in front of Marycrest. 

As soon as they were seated, Sara immediately threw her arms around Nick, holding onto him tightly as she began to cry, the sobs wracking her body. Nick wrapped his arms around her waist and held her to him just as tightly, rubbing his hand up and down her back to calm her down. 

_I can't give everything away   
I won't give everything away_

A few minutes later, Catherine and Warrick, who had taken a walk earlier, spotted Nick and Sara on the bench and both jogged over to them. "Nick?" Catherine asked breathlessly. 

"She just punched that Tasha chick in the jaw. We were eating, and Tasha said something, and Sara just went off…." Nick hugged Sara closer to his body as Catherine sat down on the other side of her. Warrick knelt down on the ground in front of Sara, and put a gentle hand on her knee. 

Sara pulled away from Nick slightly, and leaned back on the bench, revealing her tear stained cheeks and red-rimmed eyes. She forced a smile to her lips and whispered, "I'm fine."

Warrick took her hand in his, and ran his fingers over her bruised knuckles. "How about I go get some ice for this hook of yours okay?"

Sara nodded, and Warrick headed back into the building to get some ice.

Catherine put a hand on Sara's arm. "Hey Sar, maybe we should tell someone about her?"

"No, I'm fine. Really. But, Cath, what did you do?" Sara asked remembering what Tasha had said to her.

"Oh, I just introduced her to my fist after that chicken thing. Nothing major." Catherine said smiling.

"So, I guess that's what the nice bruise on her jaw was from, huh?" Nick asked patting Catherine on the back. 

Catherine smiled again. "Oh yeah. I guess now she's got a bloody, maybe even broken nose to go with it?"

Sara just smiled.

_Conclusions manifest   
Your first impressions got to be your very best   
I see you're full of shit and that's alright   
That's how you play I guess you get through every night   
Well now that's over_

Soon Warrick came strutting out of the building, back of ice in his hand, and a wide grin on his face. "Hey, Sara. You must hit hard. The chick is still in there on the ground, bitching about a broken nose. Good job, girl!" He handed the ice pack to Nick, who held it to Sara's hand. 

"I've never hit anyone before. Not like that. I'm so against fighting, but I just couldn't take it. I don't know what came over me." Sara said resting her head on Nick's shoulder. 

"Hey, I've never hit anyone before, either, Sara. I didn't even break a nail doing it. Sure did hurt like a bitch, though. Let me tell ya." Catherine said, rubbing her knuckles. 

"I think I need to go lie down or something." Sara said beginning to stand up. She wobbled a bit, and fell back down onto the bench.

_I see your fantasy, you want to make it a reality paved in gold   
See inside, inside of our heads, yeah   
Well now that's over  
I see your motives inside  
and your decisions to hide_

"Hey, Sara, you okay?" Nick asked wrapping his arm back around her shoulder.

"Yeah. I guess I'm just tired. I'm fine."

"Well, come on, we'll walk you back up to your room." Catherine said, standing up, and holding her hand on to her friend. 

Nick helped her up, and linked his arm through hers, Catherine doing the same on her other side. Warrick led the way through the back entrance of the building, making sure to avoid the cafeteria. 

_AAAAARRRRRHHHH  
Back off we'll take you on   
Headstrong to take on anyone   
I know that you are wrong   
Headstrong, we're Headstrong   
Back off I'll take you on   
Headstrong to take on anyone   
I know that you are wrong   
And this is not where you belong_

Catherine opened the door to their room, and Sara immediately went over to her bed, and ripped all the sheets off. She threw them down in a pile, and then went to her closet, where an extra set of sheets was stored. "I need to burn these" she said crumpling the old sheets up into a ball and throwing them in a plastic bag. 

Nick stepped over to her, and helped put the new sheets on her bed. 

Warrick took the bag with the old sheets down the hall to the trash room.

Catherine brought over an air sanitizer, and sprayed the whole room to get rid of the smell that the chicken left behind. 

"I'm never going to eat meat again for sure!" Sara exclaimed as soon as her bed was fitted with new sheets. She sat down on the bed, and leaned back up against the wall. Nick sat down next to her. 

Catherine reached over and turned on her radio.

_I can't give everything away  
I won't give everything away   
  
I know, I know all about   
I know, I know all about  
your motives inside  
and your decision to hide_

Warrick came back into the room and sat down on Catherine's bed next to her. Catherine immediately snuggled closer to him, wrapping an arm around his waist. "What a day," she muttered. 

"I agree," Sara whispered, cuddling up to Nick, who wrapped a protective arm around her.  He leaned down and kissed the top of her head.

Just then Greg came bursting into the room. "Whoa, party up in here! What did I miss?" He sat down on the floor between the two beds, and leaned up against Catherine's.

Warrick and Nick both laughed as they began to tell Greg of the day's events.

_AAAAARRRRRHHHH  
Fuck off we'll take you on   
Headstrong to take on anyone   
I know that you are wrong   
Headstrong, we're Headstrong   
Back off I'll take you on   
Headstrong to take on anyone   
I know that you are wrong   
And this is not where you belong_

"Wow," Greg breathed. "Remind me never to get on the bad side of these two ladies."

"I'll second that one." Nick and Warrick said at the same time. 

Nick looked down at Sara, and noticed she was half asleep. He gently moved her into a lying position, and covered her up with a blanket. 

"Well, I'm gonna head back up to the room, guys," Greg said standing up. 

"Yeah, I'll come with you," Warrick said getting up from Catherine's bed. Before leaving, he leaned over and kissed her quickly on the cheek. "See you tomorrow."

"Bye Warrick. Bye Greg." Catherine called as they walked out of the room.

_I can't give everything away  
I won't give everything away_

"I've got a study group in about a half hour, so I'm gonna head out." Catherine said to Nick. "I'll be back by 9:30, though, if you wanna stay with her until then." She reached over, and switched off the radio.

"Nick. Stay," said a sleepy Sara.

Nick looked down at her. Her eyes were shut, but she had moved over towards the wall to make room her him. "I guess I'll be staying then. Thanks Cath."

"Don't mention it. I'll see ya later." 

"Bye."

As soon as Catherine was gone, Nick walked over to the door and locked it, and then headed back over to Sara's bed. He got into bed with Sara, who quickly snuggled close to him. Nick wrapped his arms around her, and then kissed her forehead gently. 

"Thanks, Nick," she whispered.

"You're welcome."

~~$~@~$~~

TBC

The featured song was "Headstrong" by Trapt. It's a very fun song! LoL Just so everyone knows, I'm not condoning fighting in any way shape or form. I just thought it was something Sara and Catherine might have done. 

I've decided that this story is almost over. I'm either going to have one more chapter and then an epilogue, or just one more chapter which would be the epilogue. I'm not sure yet. I just know that I'm going to end it before I move on the 18th. 

Well, it's that time again. Hit that little purple button, and tell me what you think!


	7. Gone

Oh wow… I haven't updated in SO long! I'm really sorry, but with school and band, I have like no time to do anything. I hope I don't take long in updating from now on, but if I do, I'm very sorry! Thanks to everyone who has stuck with me, even though I'm slow. Special thanks to MissyJane for everything! You rock, chica! :) And thanks again to everyone who reviewed the last chapter. The reviews are what keep me writing! 

**~~$~@~$~~**

"Sara?" Nick whispered gently into the ear of the sleeping woman in his arms. 

She didn't move. He looked over at her alarm clock. It was already 8:30 in the morning and he had a class at 10:00. So did she. 

"Sara?" He tried again.

He leaned over and kissed her cheek softly. This made the corners of her lips turn up into a smile. Her eyes fluttered open slightly, and she whispered. "Good morning" before closing them tightly again.

Nick chuckled and tightened his grip around her waist. "Come on, you have to get up. Don't you have a class at 10:00 today, too?"

Sara groaned and buried her face in the pillow.

**_Let the phone ring, let's go back to sleep  
Let the world spin outside our door, you're the only one that I wanna see  
Tell your boss you're sick, hurry, get back in I'm getting cold  
Get over here and warm my hands up, boy, it's you they love to hold  
And stop thinking about what your sister said  
Stop worrying about it, the cat's already been fed  
Come on darlin', let's go back to bed_**

****

Nick ran a hand through her chocolate brown hair, and then down her back until he let it rest on her hip. 

"We won't get in trouble if we skip just once" came Sara's muffled plea.

"Sara-"

"Shhh… go back to sleep."

"Sara-"

"Please?"

Nick sighed. "Okay, you skip class, I'm not. Not this early in the year."

He rolled over to get out of bed, but Sara grabbed his wrist and pulled him back down onto the bed.

"Hey!" He exclaimed.

"Shh… You're going to wake Catherine up." Sara warned.

Nick turned to her and smiled. "Sar, she's already gone."

She smiled sheepishly. "Oh"

"You know… I told myself that I would go to every class unless I was on my death bed." Nick said as he laid his head back down next to Sara's. "This is definitely not my death bed, though."

"Are you complaining?"

"Nope."

**_Put the phone machine on hold  
Leave the dishes in the sink  
Do not answer the door  
It's you that I adore -  
I'm gonna give you some more_**

****

"Want some breakfast?" Nick asked a few minutes later.

"No."

"Aren't you hungry?"

Sara turned to face Nick and smiled. "Yes, but I don't want to get out of bed right now. I just want to lie here with you, and not move for a while."

"Fine with me."

Nick draped his arm over Sara's stomach, his finger tips lightly brushing her side. He began tracing small circles on the exposed skin between the bottom of her shirt, and waist-line of her pants.

Sara let out a small giggle.

"What?" Nick asked, letting his hand rest on her stomach.

"That tickles." She smiled sheepishly.

"Sorry" Nick winked.

**_We'll sit on the front porch, the sun can warm my feet  
You can drink your coffee with sugar and cream  
I'll drink my decaf herbal tea  
Pretend we're perfect strangers and that we never met...  
My how you remind me of a man I used to sleep with  
that's a face I'd never forget  
You can be Henry Miller and I'll be Anais Nin  
Except this time it'll be even better,  
We'll stay together in the end  
Come on darlin', let's go back to bed_**

****

"Sara? Nick?" Catherine called, slightly above a whisper.

Sara stirred and woke first. She groggily opened her eyes and looked up at her friend and roommate. "Yeah?" she whispered.

"Come here. Quick." Catherine urged.

Sara slid out of Nick's grip and climbed off the bed. "I'll let him sleep. What's up, Cath?"

"Follow me."

Sara did as she was told and followed Catherine out into the hallway. 

"Look." Catherine pointed down the hall to Tasha's room.

"What am I looking at?" 

Catherine walked closer to the door, and that's when Sara noticed the empty room. Everything was gone. Not only were all of Tasha's belongings missing, but also her roommate's. 

"What's going on?" Sara asked, confused.

"Her parents came and packed her up this morning." Catherine said, referring to Tasha.

"And what about her roomie?" Sara asked.

"I have no idea. I haven't seen her since yesterday morning. But she was already gone when Tasha left this morning."

"Wow." Sara breathed.

"I agree"

After a few minutes of silence, Catherine spoke up. "So… You and Nick…."

**~~$~@~$~~**

TBC

So, I have no clue when this is going to be finished. At this point in time, I don't really have any ideas for an ending… LoL 

The song was "Morning Song" by Jewel. It was on her "Pieces of You" Album, which was very good. 

Okay, it's that time again… Hit that purple button, and let me know what you think! Just leave the flames at home, please!


	8. Zoloft

Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter! I'm sorry it's taken me such a long time to update and part of the reason is because I'm not quite sure where I'm going with this story anymore. LoL I wanted to end it soon, but there's just so much left open, so I won't end it soon unless I can find a way that makes logical sense. Hehe. Thanks for sticking with me through all of this. Don't worry… The whole "Where did Tasha and her roommate go?" question will be answered sometime. :)

**~~$~@~$~~**

**One Week Later – Wednesday: Just before ****10:00am******

"I really don't feel like sitting through another one of Professor Grissom's lectures right now. It's such a beautiful day. We should be outside." Catherine whined as she and Sara made there way down to Sherman Hall. 

"Come on, let's just get this over with" Sara said quietly.

"Hey, what's up with you?" Catherine asked.

"What do you mean?"

"You seem kinda… I don't know… Out of it"

Sara pulled the door to the building open, and walked inside. "I'm fine"

Catherine followed her into the classroom and they took two seats in the back of the room. "I don't believe you. You've been acting all funny for about a week now."

Just as Sara was about to answer, Nick, Warrick, and Greg strutted into the classroom. Nick took the seat on Sara's left, and Warrick took the seat on Catherine's right. Greg went up a few rows and sat next to a group of girls.

Catherine gave Sara a look that said 'We're not done with this.'

Sara just slumped down in her seat.

Nick draped his arm around Sara's shoulders. "Hey. We still on for tonight?"

"What's tonight?" Sara asked.

"Bio study session. You know for the test on Friday? C'mon Sar, we made these plans a few days ago"

"Oh. Yeah. Sorry. It just slipped my mind I guess. Yeah, I'll be there. Library?"

Nick nodded.

Catherine turned to Warrick with a worried expression on her face.

"What?" He asked.

"Sara."

"What about her?"

Catherine shook her head. "I don't know. Ever since Tasha disappeared, she's been acting weird. She even forgot about the Bio study session tonight. It was her idea. And just look at her."

Warrick glanced over at the young brunette then back to Catherine. "Yeah. I don't know what's up. I can ask Nick about it later, though."

"Thanks" Catherine replied, leaning in, and planting a sweet kiss on his cheek.

Just then the door in the front of the classroom opened, and Professor Grissom walked in, jar of beetles in hand. "Okay, so who's ready for that test on Friday?"

All forty students in the classroom groaned, causing a smile to spread across the young teacher's face as he began class.

**5:30pm******

"Hey Nick" Warrick greeted as he entered their dorm room and threw his backpack on his bed.

"Hey" Nick replied, glancing up from _The Dubliners, which he still had not finished for English class. _

"You got a sec?" Warrick asked sitting down at his desk.

"Yeah. What's up?"

Warrick took a deep breath before continuing. "Does Sara seem different to you?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, Cath said something to me today. She's been acting weird since, well, you know. Since the whole Tasha thing. She forgot about the study group, which was her idea; she doesn't seem excited about much of anything really. Cath says she hasn't seen her eat a decent meal in over a week, she hasn't been sleeping much, and she just doesn't seem… right."

Nick's expression turned into that of a worried boyfriend. He sat up in his bed, and closed his book. He brought his palms to his temples and began to massage away the beginnings of a migraine. He took a deep breath before looking up to meet his friend's gaze. "I hoped it'd go away after a few days. But it hasn't. And now other people are noticing too. She says she fine, just a little tired and stressed because of classes. But I'm really worried about her."

"So is Cath. And now, so am I" Warrick confessed. 

"What can I do?" Nick asked.

"Talk to her again. Tonight."

"But we have that study session for Bio at 9:00."

"Nick, it's barely even 6:00. Take her out to dinner. You have a car on campus. Take her someplace away from here."

"Okay, I'll call her now" Nick reached over and grabbed the cordless phone that sat on his desk. He quickly dialed Sara's phone number and waited impatiently for her to pick up. 

After five rings, he pressed the 'talk' button, ending the call. "There's no answer" he informed Warrick. "I'm gonna head on over there."

"Okay, call me if you need anything. I'll see you at the library at 9:00… Hopefully with Sara."

"Yeah. See ya." Nick called as he headed out of their room and down the hall, hoping that the bad feeling in the pit of his stomach didn't mean anything.

Ten minutes later, Nick stepped off the elevator on Sara's floor, his heart pounding in his chest. He neared her room. The door was closed, and he couldn't hear any noise coming from the room. He knocked on the door three times. 

No answer.

"Sara? Open the door. It's Nick." He called.

No answer.

"Sara! Please, open the door!" He called again, getting more and more nervous.

He reached for the door knob, and turned, breathing a sigh of relief when the door squeaked open.

"Sara?" He whispered into the darkness. The shades were drawn shut, and there were no lights on in the room. The only light was that of the dim glow from the hallway. 

Nick reached for the light switch and gasped as light filled the room.

There she was, lying face down in the middle of the room. Nick nearly leapt to her side. He bent down next to her and gently shook her. "Sara? Sara!" He called with a shaky voice. 

She didn't respond.

Nick placed two fingers on her neck, feeling for a pulse.

She had one. Barely.

Nick felt his heart rate speed up as he scanned her body looking for injuries of any kind.

That's when he saw it.

The bottle in her hand.

For a moment Nick actually could feel his heart skip a beat or three. He reached a shaky hand out to pull the bottle from her grasp.

"Zoloft" He read aloud. The prescription was made out to Sara Sidle. "Take one pill every day" he read. Nick shook the tiny bottle.

It was completely empty.

"Oh God, Sara, no!" Nick quickly found the phone and dialed 911. He informed the paramedics of the situation he found, and they told him they'd be there soon, and he could hang up the phone, and wait for them to arrive.

After Nick hung up the phone, he brought his attention back to Sara's near lifeless body. Her eyes were closed, and he could barely tell she was breathing. 

**Thursday Morning ****12:45am******

"Nick?" Catherine spotted her friend, sitting, slumped in a hard plastic chair in the waiting room of Desert Palm Hospital. He didn't respond when she called his name. She slowly sat down on the chair next to him. "Nick, how is she?" Catherine asked reaching for his hand.

Nick closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "I don't understand" he said quietly.

Catherine shook her head, and leaned back in the chair.

Warrick walked over to them with three coffees in his hand. "Here ya go, man" he said handing a coffee to his friend. 

Nick took the Styrofoam cup, but did not take a drink.

Just then a doctor came through the doors leading to the emergency room, and walked straight over towards the three worried friends. "Are you the friends of Sara Sidle?"

Nick stood quickly. "Yes."

"Well, we had to pump her stomach. We've estimated that she took approximately 8-10 pills in less than an hour. She's asleep right now, but you may see her"

"Is she going to be okay?" Catherine asked.

"Yes. She will. But I strongly recommend she seek counseling. She can go home on Saturday." And with that the doctor turned and left the three friends alone to digest the information they had just been given.

No one spoke for a few minutes. Catherine sat back down. Warrick followed suit and wrapped an arm around her. Tears began rolling down Catherine's cheeks. Part of her was still in shock that this had happened, and the other part was just glad that Sara was going to be okay. The two of them had become extremely close in the month they had known each other. 

Nick stood standing. His mind was going a mile a minute. How could he have not seen this? First, Sara was on anti-depressants, which he never knew about. And then just a few hours ago, she had tried to kill herself. She must have been going through something extremely horrible to have come to the decision to harm herself. Nick was so mad at himself for not noticing this earlier. And did Catherine know about the Zoloft? Did she know that Sara was depressed? Why didn't she tell Nick about it?

"Nick?" The sound of Catherine's soft voice interrupted his thoughts. He slowly turned around to look down at her sad face. "Why don't you go see her?"

Nick nodded, and slowly began walking towards the elevator that would take him up to the Intensive Care Unit, where Sara had been moved after she was stabilized. 

He found her room quickly, and stepped inside, closing the door softly behind him. 

The sight before him, brought tears to his eyes. There she was: the young woman he was quickly falling in love with. She looked so helpless. She was now wearing a white hospital gown that had blue polka dots all over it. The expression on her face was sad, and she was so pale. She looked so small and frail, lying in that hospital bed. She was hooked up to various monitors that beeped and buzzed every so often. Nick wondered for a minute how anyone could sleep with all that noise, but then remembered why she was there in the first place. 

He quietly pulled a chair over to the side of the bed, and sat down. He reached for her hand, and gasped when he felt how cold it was. He caressed the back of her hand with his thumb as tears began to stream down his cheeks towards his chin. "Sara?" He whispered. "Please wake up."

**~~$~@~$~~**

TBC

I'm extremely sorry if this chapter offended anyone. I don't know much about Zoloft or over-dosing, so if I did offend anyone I am very sorry. This is just where the story pulled me. I hope I don't lose any readers because of this chapter. 

Please hit that little button and let me know what you think!


	9. Hospital

**Hooray for conquering Writers Block! **

**A Bloom:** Thanks for that review. I was so worried about posting that last chapter, but your support made me feel more confident about it.

**Dying Agnel1:** Don't worry… This is not a tragedy. I don't think I could handle one of those right now. 

**uundacoveragent9:** I'm glad you didn't see them coming. I like it when people tell me that. 

**Jane:** Thanks for the support!

**pdhtgal**:** Honestly, I wasn't expecting it to go this way either. I guess now that I'm back in school; I have a different view of college life. **

**MissyJane:** As always, you rock! Thanks for the continued support!

**River:** LoL I actually got your review twice. But it's all good. Sara will wake up, but after that… Well, only my fingers tap tap tapping away at the keys will tell what goes on. 

**krisnina77:** Yes, poor Nick, poor Sara, poor everyone. LoL It will end happy, don't worry.

**Robin222:** I'm not sure who I feel sorrier for either.

**cRaZyPiXiE**:** Thanks!**

**~~$~@~$~~**

**Thursday ****4:57am******

Sara opened her eyes slowly. It seemed as if they each weighed 100 pounds. Her head was throbbing, and she felt nauseous. At first her vision was very fuzzy and blurry, but after a few moments she began to focus in on her surroundings. The walls were white. There was a TV up on the wall, and a sink in the corner of the room. She could hear several different beeps and buzzes. She tried to move her neck to look for where they were coming from, but her whole body hurt too much. That's when she felt it.

Warmth from another source.

She slowly looked down and saw what it was coming from. 

Nick.

He had his head lying on her bed on her right side. He was holding onto her hand, and the warmth was coming from his deep breathing. Each time he exhaled, she felt his hot breath on her cool skin.

The expression on his face was troubled. He looked like he hadn't slept in days. Sara guessed he may have been having a bad dream or something because he wasn't sleeping peacefully. 

He shifted in his seat and suddenly sat up straight, blinking several times. He gazed around the room for a few seconds before finally resting his eyes on her. The troubled expression turned into worry and then sadness, and then back to fear before he finally said anything. "Sara" he whispered.

She tried to force a smile to her lips, but failed miserably. 

"Sara?" He repeated. "Are you okay?"

She nodded slightly.

"Right, I know. Stupid question. But, damn girl, you scared the shit out of me." He moved from the chair to sitting on the edge of Sara's hospital bed, holding her hand in his lap. He caressed the back her hand absently with his thumb.

"I'm sorry" she whispered.

"Don't apologize. I'm just glad you're okay" Nick said leaning down and kissing her forehead.

"Why are you here?" The question shocked Nick. The past several hours were extremely hard and confusing, but this one question topped it all. And it wasn't just the words… It was how she said them. The emptiness of her voice. She was a completely different person. 

Nick reached a hand up to cup the side of her face. He brushed a lock of hair behind her ear as he gazed into her eyes, trying to memorize everything about them. He searched her face, memorizing every part of it, from her eyebrows to her lips. He felt the warm salty tears streaming down his cheeks, but made no effort to brush them away.

"Why are you crying, Nick?" Sara asked suddenly.

He choked back a sob before he spoke. "Because Sara… I could have lost you last night. You almost left me here, and the thought of being on this Earth without you scares me to death." He wiped away the tears that began falling from her eyes with his thumbs as he continued to talk. "I don't know what made you want to leave, but whatever it was, I want you to tell me. You don't have to tell me today, or even tomorrow, or next week. But one day, when you're ready, I'll be here with you. And no matter what it was, I won't love you any less than I do right now."

By the time he was done speaking, tears were pouring from their eyes. Tears that weren't being wiped away. Tears of joy. Tears of sadness. And tears of love. 

"Nick, I'm so sorry" Sara said being sobs.

"Sara…" he didn't finish. Instead he just leaned down and covered her lips with his. He cupped her face in his hands as they shared the most passionate kiss either of them had ever had. Sara brought her hands up to his shoulders, pulling him closer to her.

Nick pulled away slightly and rested his forehead against Sara's. "I should go so you-"

"No!" Sara exclaimed. "No, Nick. Please stay with me. I don't want to be alone."

"Sara, I will never let that happen." Nick pulled himself up onto the bed, so he was lying next to her. He wrapped his arms around her tiny frame, and pulled her into his warm embrace.

After only a few moments the pair fell into a deep, peaceful sleep. 

**8:16am******

"Hey Cath" Warrick said as he wrapped his arm around her waist. 

"Hey. Look at them" Catherine said looking through the window to Sara's hospital room.

Nick and Sara were lying in her bed, facing each other. Both were still fast asleep. Nick had pulled Sara's body up against his. Her head was tucked underneath his chin, and she had one arm wrapped around his torso, while Nick had one arm slung over her waist, his hand hanging protectively at the middle of her back. Their free hands were joined together between their bodies. The sight nearly brought tears to Catherine's eyes.

Warrick pulled Catherine into a warm embrace and held her tightly. "Don't wake them up." He whispered.

"I won't" Catherine agreed. "But we do have classes to go to. And we should probably tell Greg."

"Yeah. We can do that when we get back" Warrick said as they headed for the exit. 

**9:35am**

"Well isn't that cozy," said the 5'10" blonde as she slowly walked past Sara's hospital room. She stopped in front of the door, and peered inside the small window. "Too bad this picture won't last" She let out and evil chuckle as she continued her stroll down the empty hallway.

**~~$~@~$~~**

**      TBC**

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Dun dun dun! LoL

Please read and review!


	10. Suicide

**Same Day ****5:45pm******

Sara woke to the sound of rustling plastic. She opened her eyes and realized she was alone in her hospital bed. "Nick?" She asked quietly. "Nick!" She said again, fear evident in her voice.

"Sara, I'm right here" She rolled over and saw him sitting on the floor by the window. He was surrounded by 'Get Well' balloons.

Sara breathed a sigh of relief. "What are you doing?"

Nick smiled as he stood up and sat down on the bed next to her. "I was just getting all of your balloons together." He chuckled to himself. "You know, last night you didn't even want me here. Now you're scared because you think I'm gone? You're funny, honey. Are you okay?"

She settled back into her pillow and closed her eyes. "I just got a funny feeling that's all."

"Wanna talk about it?"

"I just got butterflies or something, you know?"

Nick looked away from her and took a deep breath. "That's not what I meant."

Sara slowly opened her eyes, and looked up at Nick. "I know"

"Sara, if you're not ready, that's fine. It's been less than a day."

A single tear rolled down her cheek, and a lump began forming in her throat as she tried to speak. "I just felt so… alone… I didn't mean to worry you. I didn't think that it... it mattered. I wanted to get away…"

"From what? From me? From Catherine? Sara, I love you so much. We all do. Why can't you see that?" Nick scooted closer to her, and pulled her into his arms.

"Nick, I need to be alone now" Sara said in a small voice.

"I thought you didn't want me to leave."

"Please?" She asked, her eyes begging for him to understand.

Nick sighed as he stood up. "I don't understand you at all."

"No one said you were supposed to!" Sara snapped.

"Sara-"

"Just go, Nick!" With that, she rolled over on her side, her back facing a confused Nick.

His only choice was to follow her wishes, and leave the room. He didn't go far, though. Sitting down on the chair outside Sara's room, Nick rested his head in his hands, and breathed a few long, deep breaths, trying to calm his nerves.

Inside the room Sara had begun to cry once more. She was so confused and scared and stressed. She didn't even remember taking all of the pills. She hadn't even had to take any in such a long time, not since high school. It was this whole thing with Tasha. It was wearing her down; not knowing where she was or if she'd show up out of the blue just to cause more damage. 

Sara closed her eyes tightly, and wiped the remaining tears from her face. She breathed deeply a few times before finally allowing the fatigue to take over her body.

Nick decided that maybe Sara was right. He needed to get away from the hospital for a few hours. There were things he needed to take care of with school. He also decided to swing by Sara's room a pick up a few things, while also grabbing a shower, and a good meal for himself. 

As he slowly walked away, giving Sara one last glance, a familiar figure stepped out of the shadows and entered Sara's room. "Good evening puppy." Tasha sneered.

Sara was so tired that she never even heard the door open or close. Nothing could have woken her up at that point in time. The only thing that could wake her was the sharp pain in her left thigh as the small knife plunged into her soft flesh. Sara jerked from her sleep, eyes wide, searching the room.

She looked down and saw the blood soaking through the sheets that covered her legs. She let out a blood-curdling scream, and was answered almost immediately by evil laughter. She scanned the room, and that's when she saw her. 

Tasha.

She was standing at the end of the bed, holding a small night in her hand. There was blood dripping from the knife, onto the white sheets.

Her laughter rang in Sara's ears like an annoying fire alarm that wouldn't turn off. 

"Tasha" Sara squeaked.

Her only response was more laughter.

Suddenly the door swung open, and two nurses ran in. They stopped immediately when they saw the scene before them. The older of the two nurses yelled for security, but they would never get there in time.

In the blink of an eye, Tasha pulled her left hand from behind her back, revealing a small handgun. Without a word, she pushed the barrel of the gun into her own temple and pulled the trigger.

Silence.

Sara could see all the people moving around the room, but she heard nothing. 

Nurses, doctors, and police officers rushed into her room and swarmed around the lifeless body of Sara's former classmate.

She felt a strong hand on her shoulder and spun around violently. 

"Miss, you need to come with me." The tall, brown-haired police officer gently helped Sara out of bed, and into a nearby wheelchair. 

Sara was taken down the hall to an empty hospital room, and helped into the bed.Everything was going by in a blur. She couldn't yet register what had just happened. She felt the pain in her thigh as a nurse sewed the gash with stitches and bandaged it. She knew the nurse was talking to her, but she couldn't hear her. She saw her lips moving, but no sound was coming out. All she heard were muffled sounds coming from the hallway.

Another nurse came into the room, and Sara saw her talking to the nurse who had stitched up her thigh. Then one of them came over to her, and gave her two pills and a glass of water. Sara took them both without even questioning what they were for. 

Soon she could feel her eye lids beginning to droop. She leaned back against the pillows and allowed herself to be consumed by the darkness of sleep.

**Friday ****10:33am******

Nick walked through the halls of Desert Palm Hospital with a large bouquet of two-dozen red roses.  In his other hand he held a tiny brown teddy bear that had a blue ribbon tied around its neck. He knew he should have come back to see Sara sooner, but he had to e-mail all of his teachers and hers to let them all know of the situation at hand. 

He rounded the corner, but nearly dropped the bouquet when he saw all the crime scene tape around Sara's hospital room. He could feel his heart begin to beat faster, and his hands began shaking. He quickly walked up to a police officer who was standing outside of the room.

"Excuse me, sir. Can you tell me what happened here?" His voice was shaky.

"Who are you?" The officer asked.

"My girlfriend… Uh… This is her room. Where is she? Is she okay? Her name is Sara. Sara Sidle." Nick could barely make a complete sentence, and the officer could tell how worried the young man before him was.

"A young woman committed suicide in this room. Shot herself in the head."

This time Nick couldn't hold onto the bouquet. The vase shattered into a thousand pieces as it collided with the marble floor. The small stuffed animal soon joined the mess on the floor, as Nick brought both of his hands to his face. "Sara? No! Not Sara! Please, no!"

"Sir, Miss Sidle is fine. She has a minor injury, but other than that and some post-traumatic stress, she'll be just fine." The officer said calmly.

"What? Then who-"

The officer looks down at the small notepad he held in his hands. "Natasha Lucas, nineteen years old, from San Francisco. Miss Sidle identified her for us. She was also one of the witnesses to the shooting. She's extremely shaken up."

"Tasha?" Nick asked his voice cracking. "How did she get in there?"

"We're not sure yet, sir. Miss Sidle hasn't been able to tell us much. She was sedated shortly after the accident. She only told us a few hours ago what happened."

"Where is she? Sara. Where is she?"

"Just down the hall. Next room on your left."

"Thank you" Nick said quickly as he hurried down the hall, not caring about the gifts he left in the hallway. A janitor was already on his way to clean up the mess.

Sara was sitting up in her bed, when Nick came running into the room. 

"Nick!" Sara cried, nearly jumping out of the bed and into his arms.

Nick just held her tightly, kissing the top of her head every so often. "Sshh… It's going to be okay. She's gone. She can't hurt you anymore. You're safe now."

Sara buried her face in his chest as the tears poured out from her eyes, soaking his shirt almost immediately. 

Nick ran his hand up and down her back, gently, allowing his own tears to fall into her hair, making it damp. "It's all over." He whispered.

**TBC**

Okay, so Tasha is officially gone for good. Yay! 

Hit that little button and let me know what you think!


	11. Home

Well, I'm back. I've been trying to finish up Changes before I write anything more, but I don't want to leave these other stories hanging for too long.

Remember that I own nothing…****

**~~$~@~$~~**

**Monday ****11:04am******

**~~$~@~$~~**

"You ready to go home?" Catherine asked Sara who was sitting on the edge of her hospital bed, wearing jeans and a t-shirt. For the first time since being admitted into the hospital, she wasn't in a hospital gown.  

"Yeah, I'm ready" Sara answered, sliding off the bed gently so she didn't put too much pressure on her leg. It was still quite a bit sore from where Tasha had stabbed her, but it didn't hurt nearly as bad as it had a few days earlier.

"Nick took your balloons and everything home yesterday didn't he?"

Sara nodded.

"He loves you so much, you know?" Catherine said helping Sara into the wheel chair. 

"I really can walk on my own, Cath" Sara protested.

"I know you can, but Warrick and Nick will have my head if I let you walk. And you don't want to lose your roommate's head, do you?"

Sara chuckled. "No, I don't."

"Okay then."

The two friends stayed quiet until they reached Catherine's bright red Ford Focus. "I know he loves me."

"Good, because if you didn't, then I'd have to smack you upside the head a couple times."

Sara giggled again, and pushed herself out of the chair, groaning when her thigh collided with the arm rest. 

"Sara, would you please let me help you?"

"Cath, I can take care of myself."

Catherine didn't respond, she just helped Sara into the passenger side of the car, and then wheeled the chair back to the nurse who had walked outside with them. She got into the car and started the ignition. "Sara, let us help you."

"Cath-"

Catherine held up a hand before turning out of the parking lot and heading back towards campus. "Don't give me that 'I can't take of myself' crap."

Sara let out a loud sigh before laying her head against the window. "I'm not going to argue right now."

"Good, 'cause you'd lose." Catherine said with a smile.

"Whatever" was the only reply she got before Sara drifted off to sleep.

**~~$~@~$~~**

**5:00pm******

**~~$~@~$~~**

Sara rolled over and slowly opened her eyes. She found herself lying in her own bed, in her own dorm room. She was finally home after almost five hellish days in the hospital. She smiled when she felt a strong arm tighten around her waist. She could feel Nick's body pressed up against hers, and the warmth made her smile.

Nick woke up a few minutes later when Sara slid out of bed, and went into the bathroom. He sat up straight, and suddenly became worried. "Sara?" He called.

"I'm in the bathroom" she replied.

"Are you okay?"

He heard the sink running, and then stop. Then she opened the door, and walked back over to the bed, smiling. "I'm perfect."

She climbed back into bed with Nick, and laid her head down on his chest.

"When's your first appointment with the psychiatrist, Sar?" Nick asked, not wanting to break the peaceful silence, but knowing he had to. 

Sara didn't lift her head to answer him. She took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Tomorrow"

"Are you nervous?"

"Very. I just don't see why I have to go. Tasha's gone. And she was the main problem."

Nick ran a hand through her hair. "Sara-"

"I know."

There were a few more seconds of silence before Nick spoke up again. "What time?"

"3:30"

"Do you want me to come with you? I mean I can't go in, but I can sit outside and wait for you. That is, if you want me to. I don't have to, if you don't want me-"

Sara cut him off with a small giggle. "Nick."

"What?"

She continued laughing. "You're cute when you babble."

Nick smiled. "Well, I'm glad my babbling can make you laugh at least."

After another pause, Nick linked his fingers with Sara's. "So do you?"

"Yeah" she answered quickly.

"Thought so." Nick said, grinning.

Sara leaned up and planted a sizzling kiss on Nick's lips. He responded immediately by pulling her body flush against his, and wrapping his arms around her waist. Sara pulled away a few minutes later, out of breath. "Nick, I want you."

Truth be told, he'd wanted her to say that for so long, since that first she ran into him on the way to Biology. But this isn't what he'd been planning on. He hadn't planned on falling in love with her. But now that he had, now that she had become his everything, he knew for sure that this was not the way he wanted their first time to be. "Sara, no." 

Her face fell into a frown, and she quickly sat up. "I can't believe I said that. This is a mistake."

"No, Sara-"

She didn't let him finish. "I never should have believed you when you told me you loved me. Never."

"Sara! Listen to me!" Nick protested, sitting up next to her.

"No, I don't want to hear it. Just leave, please"

Nick grabbed her arm, and pulled her back to him, his lips meeting hers in yet another fiery kiss.

"Nick-"

"Just listen to me, okay?"

Sara nodded, swallowing the lump in her throat.

"I do love you. I'm so in love you with, Sara."

"Then why won't-"

He placed to fingers on her lips as he continued. "Let me finish. I want you, too, Sara. You have no idea how much. But I don't want it like this. You just got out of the hospital today. You need to rest. And last time I checked, sex isn't considering 'resting'."

Sara blushed at his last comment and turned away from him, so he couldn't see how red she'd become. 

"Hey" Nick said bringing her face close to his so he could plant a small kiss on her nose. "I was always told that the longer you wait for something, the better it is."

Sara smiled a little and blushed even more.

"Dinner?" He asked.

Sara nodded. 

Nick kissed her one more time before pulling her off the bed. "I love you so much, Sara."

"I love you, too Nick. Thank you for everything."

Nick pulled her into a hug. "I'd do it again in a heart beat."

~~$~@~$~~

TBC

~~$~@~$~~

Next chapter is the epilogue. *Tear* I'm going to miss this story, but hey, I'll get to start another one soon! Yay! 

Hit that button and let me know what you think! 


	12. Boston

Well, here it is… The much-anticipated epilogue to my completely AU fic, Back in the Day. I would just like to take a minute to thank everyone who reviewed this story.

csifan1, krisnina77 (9), jd burns (2), Jane (2), A Bloom (4), MissyJane (10), cRaZiPiXiE (7), Maddax, oOoOo (2), SaxophoneForensicschic05, countryfreak (2), PeTiTeCaT (7), heebiejeebie, Sara Sidle Stokes, pdhtgal (3), CSIaddict, candaceFABULOUS (2), LilRiver (3), EmmyMik (2), lilybelle80538, April, McCarthy Punk,  Loretta, Dying Angel1 (3), Robin222 (3), Settie, undacoveragent9, River, Lisa, Prillygirl,  Stokes-CSI3 (2), Padfoot4ever (2), Cool Penguin, and miranda.

You all rock!

Just another reminder: This is completely AU. I realize this is not how everything really happened, but this is my fiction, which means I can do what I want with it. 

Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy this epilogue!

**         ~~$~@~$~~**

**Some Several Years Later**

**         ~~$~@~$~~**

Catherine padded down to the end of the driveway to the mailbox. She reached inside and grabbed the buddle of envelopes and headed back into her simple two-story home. She sat down on the couch to sort through the mail. 

"Bill. Bill. Junk. Bill. Ad. Bill." She threw the envelopes into different piles, but stopped when she came upon a small blue envelope  with a very familiar return address. 

"Warrick!" She called to her husband of three years. 

"Yeah, babe?" He answered coming into the living room, cradling their thirteen month old daughter, Lindsey, in his arms.

"We got a letter from Nick and Sara."

"Really? What's it been… three months since we heard from them?" Warrick sat down on the couch next to his wife.

"Yeah something like that. I wonder what it is." She carefully tore the envelope open, and pulled out a small card and read aloud. "It's a girl!" Catherine looked up at Warrick and smiled. "Sara had her baby."

"Awesome. What else does it say?" Warrick asked.

"Melissa Suzanne was born on Sunday, November 23rd." Catherine looked over to the calendar hanging on the wall. "That was almost two weeks ago. Why didn't they call?"

"Well, it is long distance from Las Vegas to Boston. That could have something to do with it. And I'm sure they've been a bit preoccupied. I wouldn't take it personally."

"Yeah, that's true. I guess we weren't exactly quick to send out announcements when Lindsey was born either." Catherine leaned over and kissed her daughter's cheek. "Happiest day of my life." She smiled up at Warrick, before leaning in to kiss him as well. "Followed closely by the day you took me off the market"

**_Closing time  
Open all the doors and let you out into the world  
Closing time  
Turn all of the lights on over every boy and every girl  
Closing time  
One last call for alcohol so finish your whiskey or beer  
Closing time  
You don't have to go home but you can't stay here_**

"So what else does it say?" Warrick asked taking the card from his wife. "They're having an open house next month. They must have planned it so it'd give us plenty of time to get a flight out there."

"Well, yeah. Grissom's not going to be happy about us leaving the lab for a week, though"

A sly grin spread across his face. "Well, he's just going to have to deal without his two best CSI's for a little while. We can bring him back a good souvenir."

"Yeah. So do you want to go book our flight, or should I?"

**_I know who I want to take me home  
I know who I want to take me home  
I know who I want to take me home  
Take me home_**

"So did Cath and Warrick R.S.V.P?" Nick asked Sara as he walked in the front door of their apartment.

"Well, hello to you, too, honey. How was work?" Sara asked with a small grin, showing off the gap between her front two teeth.

Nick leaned down and kissed his wife. "Hi, babe. Work was fine. I hate pulling doubles, especially when I have you and my baby girl waiting here for me"

"Yeah I know. I really don't miss being a criminalist sometimes."

"You know you'll still be able to get a job at the lab as soon as you're ready" Nick said, sitting down on the couch next to her. 

"I know, but I just don't know how I'll be able to work and be a mother at the same time. That girl keeps me on my toes." 

As if on cue, their young daughter's cries could be heard throughout the apartment. Nick leaned over and kissed Sara's cheek. "I'll get her."

**_Closing time  
Time for you to go out to the places you will be from  
Closing time  
This room won't be open till your brothers or your sisters come  
So gather up your jackets, move it to the exits  
I hope you have found a friend  
Closing time  
Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end_**

A few minutes later, Sara padded down the hallway to her daughter's bedroom. She peered inside the door, and couldn't help but smile at the sight before her. Nick was sitting in the rocking chair, cradling his daughter in his arms. He was talking quietly to her. So quietly, Sara could barely hear him. 

"Hey sweetie" he said soothingly. "Did you keep mommy up all night again?" Melissa gurgled, her big brown eyes, wide. "You just don't ever want to be without her, do you, kiddo? I understand what you're feeling, though. I hate it when I'm not with her, too."

Sara felt a few tears stinging her eyes. When she sniffed, Nick looked up at her and smiled. "What's wrong Sara?"

"Nothing" she answered with a smile as she walked into the room. "Nothing's wrong at all. Everything is perfect." She knelt down on the carpeted floor next to the rocking chair, and gazed into her daughter's eyes. "Everything is perfect" she repeated.

"I couldn't agree with you more" Nick whispered, taking her hand in his and placing a gentle kiss in her palm.

"You remember when we first met?" Sara asked.

"How could I forget? You practically bowled me over trying to get to biology. And Catherine said you were only in a hurry to see Professor Grissom." Nick chuckled as he remembered their first day of classes. "I was almost jealous when you smiled at him."

"Are you serious?" Sara laughed. "You never told me that before."

"That's because I was embarrassed." He paused, and kissed her hand again. "I think I fell in love with you that very first week of school."

"Yeah, those first few weeks were interesting weren't they?" Sara asked.

"Yes, they were. But hey, we got through it."

"Yes, we did." Sara agreed.

"Did the police ever find Tasha's roommate?" Nick asked.

Sara nodded. "Yeah, remember? She had just dropped out of school and gone home. She said she just didn't like the university and could barely afford it, so she just left" Sara laughed to herself. "And we thought Tasha killed her or something."

"Well, it wouldn't have surprised me one bit."

"Yeah, me either"

**_I know who I want to take me home  
I know who I want to take me home  
I know who I want to take me home  
Take me home_**

"Sara, hurry up! They're going to be here any minute!" A month had passed rather quickly, and now the young couple was waiting for their few guests to arrive.

"Would you relax?" Sara called from Melissa's bedroom. "It takes at least twenty minutes to get here from the airport, and they just called not even five minutes ago." She carefully pulled a small blue dress over Melissa's head, and straightened it out before carrying her out into the living room where Nick was pacing nervously.

Sara tried to hide the grin that threatened to spread across her face, but failed miserably. "You know I don't think I've seen you pace like that since the day this little one was born."

Nick stopped pacing, and a small blush crept to his cheeks. "Sorry"

Sara walked over to him, and gently placed Melissa in his arms. "Have I told you lately that I love you?" she echoed the words of the popular song.

"You're my wonder wall" Nick whispered. 

"Take me home tonight" Sara leaned in and brushed her lips across his.

"I wonder how long we could keep this up" Nick pondered, with a small smile on his face.

"Oh, I'm sure we could go forever. There are so many songs out there. But we'll have company soon" she giggled.

Sara's comment was answered by the soft ringing of the door bell. "That must be Catherine, Warrick, and Lindsey." Sara stated. "I'll get it." She kissed Nick one last time before heading to the door, and opening it.

"Hey Sara!" Warrick greeted, giving her a peck on the cheek. "Hey Cath" she said giving her former roommate and best friend a gentle hug. "How's my little god daughter?" She asked Lindsey who was sitting comfortably in her mother's arms. "She's getting so big" Sara commented.

"Well, if you'd come out and visit more often then you would get to see her grow" Catherine's voice almost had a little bit of hurt in it.

"I'm sorry, Cath. But Nick and I were both working full time as soon as we got out here, and then with Melissa… We've just been busy the past few months"

"Speaking of which, where is that little girl?" Catherine asked.

"Nick has her" Sara pointed over to where Nick and Warrick were catching up and ogling over little Melissa.

Sara led Catherine over to where the men were standing, and introduced her to Melissa. Sara carefully took her daughter from Nick's arms and placed her in Catherine's. "Melissa Suzanne Stokes, I'd like you to meet your god parents and god sister slash cousin slash whatever" Sara giggled and then continued "Catherine, Warrick, and Lindsey Brown."

"You guys, she's gorgeous" Catherine breathed as she held both little girls securely in her arms. 

**_Closing time  
Time for you to go out to the places you will be from_**

"Is Greg coming?" Warrick asked a few minutes later.

"No, he couldn't. He did call and send us a nice check to put in her college savings account." Nick answered.

"What's he got that's more important than this?" Catherine wondered.

"Oh, you guys haven't heard yet?" Nick asked, shocked.

Catherine and Warrick exchanged a confused look and then turned back to Nick and Sara.

"Well, you know that he's the head supervisor at the CSI lab in Miami, Florida, don't you?" Sara asked.

"Yeah, he called us about that a few months ago. But he couldn't have taken time off?" 

"No. Guys, Greg got married last week." Nick informed his friends.

Sara didn't think she'd ever seen someone's jaw come so close to actually hitting the ground. She quickly took her daughter from Catherine's arms just to insure her safety.

"He didn't even invite us!" Catherine complained.

"Well, technically he didn't invite anyone. They eloped" Nick clarified.

"What's her name?"

Sara giggled. "Sarah."

Catherine laughed as well. "Are you serious?"

"Yep."

**_I know who I want to take me home  
I know who I want to take me home  
I know who I want to take me home  
Take me home_**

A few hours later, both Lindsey and Melissa were fast asleep, and Sara was getting exhausted. Being a new mother was extremely tiring.

Catherine and Warrick retreated to the guest bedroom, and Sara and Nick retreated to their bedroom. They loved their spacious apartment. The only reason they bought it instead of a house was because it had three bedrooms in and it and it was close to the lab where they both worked.

"I really do miss not seeing them everyday" Sara commented as she climbed underneath the covers of their king sized bed.

"Honey, we've lived out here for almost two years, and you're just now missing them?" 

"Well, I never realize how much I miss them until we're all together again" 

Nick joined her in the bed and pulled her body against his. "Are you happy here?" he asked.

"Of course I am" Sara answered quickly.

"We could always move back to Vegas. Catherine said Grissom would give us jobs. I mean the man only had us for classes for 4 years. He knows we can do the job" Nick said, running his fingers through her hair and down her back in a soothing motion.

"I know. But you love Boston."

"I don't care where we live, Sara, as long as we're all together as a family."

Sara was quiet for a few minutes, thinking about what Nick was suggesting. "So, when do you want to move?" She asked quietly.

Nick leaned down and kissed the top of her head. "Whenever you're ready, we can go home."

**_Closing time  
Every new beginning comes from some other   
beginning's end_**

**~~$~@~$~~**

**  The end!**

**~~$~@~$~~**

There you have it! Thanks for making this journey with me. It's been a great ride. 

Now hit that little button one last time, and let me know what you thought.


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